I need some help. I have read several posts on how to turn a vest I have put together through the side seam and I am about to throw the whole darned thing out the window. My husband is working on it right now and he is stuck, too. I get that you leave a side seam open, but we can't make it work. How, exactly, do you pull the thing through the shoulder? Do you go from the front, back? pictures would be nice. I am about to give up. I am fairly well educated, yet this has me stumped. Duh!

If I had the whole thing sewn up and only a side seam open, I don't think I could do that most times. Of course, I can't see what you got or did either. Or what you were going by.

But if really stuck, I know of something else that would probably work instead most times. If you want to give up on however you are trying to do it (which might be better than it going out the window) .

If you even undo it (all stitching) at the shoulder seams, both of them, lining and real fabric, you still might be able to turn it inside out like that. To make that happen though, the whole bulk of it, (when turning it inside out) would have to be able to fit, all smooshed up, through one of those opened up and undone, shoulder seams. And then of course, afterwards, you would have to close up both the shoulder seams later. Which is going to involve at least some hand sewing.

But that might be one way to do it if you wanted to. -- Edited on 2/25/14 5:38 PM --

I'd want to see the pattern and fabric/lining combinations you are using. Some vest patterns have very narrow shoulders and it's just hard to get everything to pass through there, especially if you are using fabrics that are bulky and want to stick to one another rather than slide along.

You may want to make a mock-up with old sheets or some other lightweight fabric and play with that to learn how it works rather than wear out your fashion fabric.

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